Despite the record-breaking funds raised by President-elect Barack Obama, total political ad spending for the election will come in below expectations. According to preliminary estimates from Borrell Associates, overall spending will hit $2.16 billion with about $2.14 billion spent on traditional media, including TV, cable and radio -- and $16.6 million spent online. Earlier this year Borrell had forecast total spending would hit $2.6 billion. And TNS Media Intelligence's Campaign Media Analysis Group had predicted a skyrocketing $3 billion, which was trimmed later in the year to $2.5 billion. "It just wasn't the cornucopia everyone thought it would be," said Kip Cassino, vp of research at Borrell. "Of all the money Obama raised, it didn't all go to advertising." A great deal went to Obama's infrastructure.
